Request: I’m looking for individuals who are taking PrEP and open to talking about their experiences with it. If thats you, please email me @thomaswaters@mac.com. Please pass this along to anyone who may be willing to assist me.

What’s it like to be on PrEP? What questions would you have?

I’ve been organizing a list of questions that I have as a gay man about taking PrEP, as well as questions I’ve heard others ask. My goal is to put these questions before people who I come into contact with and allow their replies to become part of this weekly post topic. If you have questions you want to see asked, let me know.

Info Source about PrEP

If you want to know as much as you can about PrEP, check out this web site: PrEPwatch

Why is a vaccine is so hard to develop for HIV?

This is an easy to read but detailed description, published Jan 5, 2015, about why researchers have had so much trouble developing a vaccine for HIV. The story relates to research published last year in PNAS

A bibliography of research regarding PrEP?

I put out a request wondering if there are Grad Students who are working on a review paper which would summarize all of the published research regarding PrEP, and Dr Ken Sujin Ho, suggested one, Preexposure Prophylaxis for HIV Prevention: Where Have We Been and Where Are We Going? The link goes to the PubMed search page for the publication. I have meant to start to read it, but over the past few days since receiving it, I just haven’t had a chance, but upon first glance it looks very interesting. I promise to dig into it soon.

One of my big questions is, how do researchers confirm that PrEP is solely responsible for any increased risk of infection? The studies I have looked at all seem to include that participants are given a drug or placebo; given condoms; tested regularly; and are given counseling about safer sex practices. How is it determined that the increased testing, condoms and counseling are not what is responsible?  I think I’ll find at least a part of the answer in this paper.